Piltover Shorts
by ImaginaryEngineer
Summary: One shot collections about Piltover's Finest.
1. Ulterior Motive

Piltover's Shorts

A/N: Decided to compile all of my little short drabbles into one fic. Short [or long depends on my mood] little ficlets of Piltover's Finest.

I really, really love them. Unhealthy obsession.

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**Ulterior Motive**

Caitlyn X Vi [Pre-slash. Just partners and not _partners_]. Caitlyn POV.

**Summary: **Caitlyn's a little out of tune during one of her stake-outs with Vi and starts noticing a few things about her partner that she's never noticed before.

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It was a lovely night in September. Of course, the winds weren't always as forgiving as the breeze that blew through the night skies of a Piltover summer. But I still brought a jacket to keep myself warm through the weather to spare myself from getting another case of pneumonia. I do not want to go through another episode of Vi taking care of me. The last time that happened, I needed ten times the amount of pain killers I was prescribed because she was being... Vi.

"I've got us some donuts, yey!" My partner, overjoyed as she reached for the box of donuts which she brought herself from before we left the office. She placed the box on her lap as I kept my focus on the street in front of me, tapping furiously on the steering wheel.

"I'm starving, we've been here for at least 3 hours and it's like we've been waiting for forever!" She takes a bite of, what I think is, the strawberry donut, glazed in pink syrup, possibly topped with a cherry. "Sweet, tangy and a light on the pocket," as she describes. "Are you kidding me? I bake you doughnuts for free and they taste better than that."

"Well, yeah. But you didn't bring any tonight so I figured I'd bring my own." She takes another bite from that concoction of sugar, flour and a whole bunch of air. I would never myself fancying that joke of a pastry.

She waves her piece at me. "I know you want a bite, I could hear your hunger from here."

I didn't look at her but I waved my hand at her rejecting her offer, I wasn't in any mood for donuts or food for that matter. "You gotta eat somehow, Caitlyn," she flipped her feet up and put it on the front of the car.

"Vi, take your feet off that this instant!" Really, could she be anything more than immature? We've been in the car for a while and she's been doing nothing be getting crumbs on the seat and dirt on the dashboard.

"I'm tired chief, and you are too," she says, waving the donuts towards my direction. "Them little friends of yours are telling me that you haven't been getting any zzz's."

I swatted her hand away as she tried to touch the bags under my eyes. "Stop it Vi." Her incessant pleading will not get me to pull back from this mission. I've been working on this lead for months.

She made a snorting sound. "C'mon sheriff, this is way boring than what I've got supposedly planned tonight!"

As if I don't know what she's got planned. "All you're going to do today is sit down and watch the season finale of that blasted Noxian soap you've been ogling at for the past month!" I pinched her cheek and dragged her towards me. "Oww, owww, oww!"

"The sooner you stop whining, the sooner were done with this, okay!?" Tired, stressed, lacking every bit of sleep I need, I couldn't find the strength to overlook her bothersome attitude right now. Her hand found its way to my forearm and she tried to pry away my grip from her face. "I will if you let go, OW!" I pinched her cheeks harder. "Swear on me you'll be quiet for the next hour."

She tried to pull away, waving her hands back and forth trying to get me to let go. She's bargaining with me but with my hand on her face and the remnants of the donut still in her mouth, I couldn't understand a word she was trying to say. "One- more- hour- please-" She's tearing up. It's not the first time I've done this to her and I'm particularly sure that this won't be the last. I let go and the mark of my fingers are burned onto her skin. "Ow ow ow ow," she whispers while stroking her cheek. "Good thing I've got my show recorded, owwwww-"

"Swear to me you'll keep quiet and focus," she nodded and something in me settled down for once. I finally got her to quiet down. She shot me a glare and if I heard correctly, she muttered something about her soap being moving and a-must-see.

This mission did require us to go undercover and we had to use a car that wasn't going to give off our agenda. I wanted to take my ride along but Vi insisted we use the one she's been tinkering out back outside our office hours. It used to belong to the force but since it's been replaced with newer models, it's been out for a while.

She also dressed up in one of her more casual clothes, sporting a brown hoodie to be able to conceal her face from the crownd easily. Since she grew up in the slums, it's highly likely someone would recognize her.

Which brings us to what she advised me to wear.

"I look like a hooligan," tugging the sleeves of what I thought was a worn out navy blue shirt with a huge number "6" sewn on the back. "It's too loose. It's tacky."

"It looks fine on you Sher'f," and sent me off with a giggle. It was her bright idea to try to repaint my sense of style. I could see the joy in her eyes as she rummaged through the clothes in her old closet. She placed me in loose jeans, gave me a grey paper boy hat to go along with it and even instructed me to place on binders to conceal my chest.

"They're too big they'll notice!" She reasons with me.

"They're mammary glands what size do you expect them to be?"

"Kid-to-teen sized cupcake. Everyone in this part of town knows that big puppies only happen after puberty. We're trying to get you to look like you're a teenage drop out from the streets so you wouldn't be sketchy."

"Does it require **NOT BREATHING** cause with my breast plastered onto my chest, I don't think I'll be doing any of the sort."

"I'd prefer you look like a ruffian scoundrel than the fancy classy sheriff I report too. If anyone sees even just the hem of your purple dress, everyone there would be tearing apart the sidewalks to get their grimy hands on you."

And she was right, as much as I hated to admit it. Everyone knew who I was, they cowered in fear at the mere sound of my footsteps. I've never thought I'd have to get my hands dirty in any of my cases. But there's always a first for everything. So here we are, waiting for the drug trade off in the back alley of the worst part of the city, sitting in the most archaic car I've ever been in, smelling like a cheap air freshener and stale donuts in some steam punk clothes only Piltovian teens wear.

_What I would give to get out of the situation I'm in_.

I heard the passenger door unlock. "Vi, what are you doing."

"Making sure we aren't waiting on nothing, cake." She closed the car door and her eyes skimmed through the surroundings. "They must've changed locations or they saw us coming from afar." She tugged the hood of her sweater off her face and took very careful steps towards the alley.

_Great,_ I knew I should've positioned myself on the top of the building than go through this silly stake out mission on the ground. Everything seemed so out of place. I'm so much out of line right now; I'd kill for some sleep to get my thoughts to quiet down.

She took a peek at the corner, the alleyway where my intel directed me where the trade-off would happen. I rushed over to her, making sure to close the car door and pulling my hat over my head. I tried to snag a look behind her but she kept boxing me out from the side. "Vi-"

And she mutters something I couldn't even comprehend. "I told you to stay in the car."

"It's stuffy in there and I don't like the smell of cheap pastry." She snarked at my comment and checked around some more. Taking another step towards her, I shifted my hands from the pockets of my jacket to her shoulders.

I've never noticed her use the gym in the station nor do I recall her having any of those in her house. Her muscles were firm, I wonder how it would feel if she carried me on her shoulders? It must be from wearing those gauntlets all the time. Punching around through the world definitely got her some nice muscles. Or must it be her street background? Surely she's been in brawls most of the time to fend for her life. I couldn't imagine the trouble she's gone through just to live out here.

"Cupcake?"

I shook my head at the sound of my pet name and looked her in the eye. Hell, the fatigue is getting to me and I'm losing my grip on reality. _How appropriate_.

"You're out of focus, Caitlyn," she chuckled, running her hand through her gorgeous pink unkempt locks. At first I thought they were a ruffian's way of keeping their hair, much like their own personal attitudes seeping its way into their own fashion sense. But Vi could really make it a fashion statement. She wore ruffian hair spectacularly good. I wonder if her locks felt like silk, how it would play at the edge of my fingertips.

_Stop right there, Caitlyn,_ I reprimanded myself. I found Vi's hair attractive. Oh dear, I'm hallucinating. How much sleep was I lacking?

"Did you just-" I took back my hand from her shoulders. She was just as shocked as I was.

_Shit_, I've just been caught playing with her hair. I honestly thought I was under the influence of drugs, or alcohol or something else, I don't know but whatever it is, it's clouding my consciousness and it's driving me bonkers. My actions would definitely get me in trouble right now; I hope she wouldn't file any case against me for sexual harassment. I hate myself.

I needed to throw her off, "I think your hair looks great Vi." I do hope she's clueless enough to buy this. I tried so hard to say it as monotonous as possible. But if I were in her place, I most definitely will not tolerate what I did right now. No one's that dumb to buy what I threw at her.

She looked at me for the longest time. I couldn't decipher her expression as the lights in the alley were just poorly lit, kudos to the_ amazing _governance in Piltover promising everyone a good city. "Well," she states, scratching the side of her face and started playing with the stray strands of her hair. She threw me a shy grin. "I never knew you liked it this way," she giggles again. "You always tell me to change it since it wasn't presentable enough. So, I thought you hated it."

_I do, you fool_.

But pairing that hair with those pair of blue, vibrant eyes is just killing me on the inside. Pink and blue complement each other to such a perfect level and her eyes brought balance to her locks: innocent, blue orbs to match her rough, pink hairdo. She was just-

"Cupca-"

"What?!" I screamed at her. I hadn't notice that it came out unpleasantly loud. Her shoulders, her hair and her eyes? I needed to get my act together. I'm drooling over my partner and that's not professional in any sort. Even if she is attractive_._ _Very, very attractive_.

"You're freaking me out." I'm freaking myself out; I've been staring at her and -ogling- at her from where I'm standing instead of focusing on the mission at hand. She took a step towards the car. "We aren't getting anywhere here and it's likely that those thugs won't push through with this whatever trade at this hour." I heard the car unlock. _Damn it_, Vi's thieving skills were nifty to her as ever, I could've sworn I put the keys in my pocket.

"Give those back, I'm drivi-"

"Lookie here boss, lemme just take you home tonight, got that?" She opened the car door and motioned me to get in the car. "C'mon I know you want some sleep!"

I crossed my arms and stood my ground. _No way was I going home_, I put too much effort into this. Really? Crime doesn't sleep and I doubt I should be getting either. Just another minute and maybe these thugs would show up and we could bust them easily. "No Vi, we are going to wait-"

"Nu-uh, none of that justice crap right now." She rummaged something from the glove compartment and walked back towards me.

Wait, what was she thinking? That smirk she was throwing me was stressing me. I've been with her enough to know that _**that**_ is the smirk she throws when she's up to no good.

"Do not come any closer, Vi," I took a few cautious steps back. "What are you-"

"Gotcha!" She lunged at me and tugged my arms. I tried to pry away from her grip but once she let go, I couldn't move my hands apart. _Curse this hooligan_, I thought to myself. "Give me the keys." She cuffed me. We were on a case and she put my arms in shackles. "And let me go." She shook her head and swept me over her shoulders. "Damn it, put me down this instant!" I yelled in surprise.

"I'm just looking out for you Sheriff." She said striding towards the passenger side of the car. She placed me down in it and got into the other side.

_Looking out for me?_ I didn't need to be "looked after" by anyone else. I'm very much independent and I'm sure that I can defend myself against any sort of criminal action. I know every form of close combat and everyone in the vicinity dare not mess with me because they are sure that I can snipe them from 3,000 feet away! I do not need my own personal bodyguard. I didn't need anyone else but me. "Get these silly things off me!"

"No way!" She yelled back, the playful tone in her voice still there. What is her deal anyway? I couldn't understand her. This is irritating and it's going to jeopardize the mission at hand!

"I don't need anyone to protect me from anything, Vi. Stop being insufferable."

"Cupcake," she sounded stern, like a mother giving a lecture to a child. "You need rest. Take it from me; we're not going to get anywhere when your brain is not getting any Vitamin Sleepies."

And she flashes me another grin and threw a thumb up at me.

Fine. This day, I let her win.

_Vitamin Sleepies_. I am not a child that needed to be told what to do or to be explained with such idiotic, immature made up kid language.

She started the car and she drove us off from the scene.

Her driving was smooth and the fatigue was just creeping through me. My eye lids were heavy and my body just couldn't hold up. My memory couldn't serve me right, but I swore I could hear her whisper something before I finally drifted off to sleep.

"Crime can just have its way tonight. It's a small price to pay than to risk losing you for a lifetime."

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A/N: La la la~


	2. Stray

**Stray**

Caitlyn X Vi. [Yup, this time they're partners] fluff. Third person.

Summary: Vi comes back from the Howling Abyss with more than just another Victory on her hands.

A/N: Because I really want a poro.

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Heavy, hurried steps paired with the sounds of loose buckles and belts echoed across the walkway to the sheriff's main office. The stench of metal and grease coming from the Piltover Enforcer herself filled the halls as she made her way to the big oak door at the end. She wore a giddy smile on her face, much like every day when she comes in to report whatever she had to report to her superior. It was standard procedure after all. But today, she had a little something more on top of that.

Without any much as a thought just like every time she came, she barged into the sheriff's office without even a warning.

She was the only one in Piltover that was able to do this to the sheriff. Any other person would've gone out with a gunshot wound or emotional stress that not even years of therapy would be able to cure.

"So, you know like sometimes we get sent to the Howling Abyss right? It's pretty unusual that they still make us fight up there but that's not why I'm here today anyway. Before I get to that lemme tell you what happened up there! Well, I kinda dominated, as usual, but that's not because I had Lux and Mr. Powerslam on my team shooting light balls and laser beams from the back line bu-"

Caitlyn stopped listening the moment she looked up to entertain Vi's constant rambling. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of a white fur ball resting on top of her partner's head. Its eyes scouting the corners of Caitlyn's pristine office while it was panting. It even looked like it was perpetually smiling.

"-nd then boom! Bristles is really heavy but who knew my gauntlets could actually be able to lift both Sej and her boar up to 5 meters into the air!"

_Oh my God_, Caitlyn thought. She knew Vi was spontaneous but this was over board. The last time Vi brought home a pet, the purple yordle turned Caitlyn into a helpless puppy. It might have resulted in hours of fun for Vi but for Caitlyn it was the worst day in her life. This just had trouble all over it, she's so sure of it. She's known her partner for quite a long time.

"Are we not going to talk about that?" her voice unwavering as she pointed her pen toward Vi's head.

Vi stopped in the middle of her rambling, her gaze following the direction of her superior's pen. "This little guy?"

Caitlyn nodded in response, her surprised expression never leaving her face.

"Is also the reason I came today. Well, when I was about to leave the abyss, he was sitting underneath the shopkeepers stall. He didn't seem to have any friends with him and he looked really lonely so I took him with me." She scratched the side of the poro nestling on her head, to which is responded with a satisfied purr as it gave Vi's hand a lick. "Braum gives his little guy a 'stache so I'm thinking of giving this one little gauntlets or like little hextech booties! So everyone knows this one's my partner!" She raised her fists in the air, throwing her commander an enthusiastic grin.

Caitlyn, however, furrowed her brow. Those little white -things- were not meant to live outside the Freljord Mountains and were definitely not adapt to wearing any sort of hextech weaponry whether it's functional or aesthetic. Also, that little animal would easily get lost in the hustling and bustling traffic of Piltover. What in the world was going on through Vi's brain to even think that it was a good idea to keep a hitch hiking poro for a pet? And to raise it in Piltover? Of all places?

"You are not keeping a poro," she said, her gaze still not leaving the fluffy animal nestled on Vi's pink locks. It was panting heavily, looking innocent as it held its gaze at the sheriff.

"But-"

"Might I remind you of the incident that happened last time you brought home a stray?" she questioned the enforcer as she raised one of her brow. She was tapping her finger on the surface of her desk, waiting on Vi's reply.

"She turned you back into a human after!" Vi reasoned out, waving her hands in front of her. "And it was-" Vi stopped noticing the disappointing look the Caitlyn wore. She took a deep breath and said, "Well, this time I'm sure it's an animal and it doesn't do any of those whimsy magical tricks like the ones Lulu does!"

The sheriff pinched the bridge of her nose. "Vi, I don't think you are getting the point here."

"I totally get your point Cait," she said as she waved her hand in the air. "Bandle City Yordles are not pets and I'm not allowed to bring any of them home." She held her chin and looked up, "Even if they are cool and know so much about explosions," she tilted her head to the side. She was reminded of the time she tried to bring home Ziggs for some fun experiment, but somehow Caitlyn was two steps ahead of her, stopping her in her tracks before she smuggled the Hexplosives expert into Vi's personal shop.

"Pets are responsibilities, Vi."

"Yes! And so are hextech equipment! C'mon Cait, look how much I take care of my gauntlets! These babies have been with me for years!" She had a point but Caitlyn was just not having any of it.

"They have a scent," she rebutted. "And I don't want my home smelling anything like pets."

"Because he'll overpower the scent of grease and propane?" Vi thought she was clever. It was true that most of the time when Caitlyn wasn't there, their home reeked of whatever material she had painted on her face. Grease, saw dust and even gun powder. This would always drive Caitlyn insane when she opens the door to find Vi's oil footsteps all over her newly waxed marble floor.

"Yes. I'm already having the worst time trying to get rid of your own scent and now I'm going to have to double up my efforts to get rid that animal's too," Caitlyn said, still trying to convince Vi to return the poro to its rightful place. Or even find it a more suitable home; she was sure that Queen Ashe would be more than welcome to adopt such a creature.

"I'm going to clean up after! Everyday even I promise!" Vi pleaded. She was on the verge of going on her knees, as if begging for her own life.

"Do you even know what it's supposed to eat?" Caitlyn questioned. She was sure that the proper diet of these Freljordan fluffies consists of items specifically grown in Freljord themselves.

"The little guys just like me!" Vi said. "He eats everything! Except for a few things."

Caitlyn shook her head.

"I even asked Sejuani what to feed and what not to feed poros! She told me not to give them anything high in both fat and sugar. And make sure not to give any garlic or shrooms! It's poisonous to them."

"My answer is still no."

Vi's face scrunched up as she flung her hands in the air. She bit her lip, trying to think of something to make Caitlyn change her mind.

"Maybe he can reason out with you!" Vi shrugged her shoulders, hoping that this would get her to say yes. She was out of options right now and there was nothing else she could pull out of her pockets to convince Caitlyn. She walked towards the edge of Caitlyn's desk and knelt in front of it, her chin resting slightly atop the sheriff's wooden desk, Caitlyn finally coming face to face with the fur ball atop Vi's head.

_He?_ Caitlyn thought. An unlikely pronoun to be used for a creature. Caitlyn fought the urge to correct Vi's wrong grammar.

"_Hullo Sheriff!_" Vi exclaimed in a timbre far smaller than her own, her eyes still looking upward. "_I'm Doug._"

Caitlyn shook her head as she hid her face behind her hands. This was ridiculous and a waste of time. And she even named it for crying out loud. "I'm not talking to that animal. And no amount of pleading will change my mind." She leaned towards Vi, making sure that she looked her in the eye, and tapped her partner's nose. "My answer is and will still be _NO_," she assured her, making sure she stressed out her rejection.

The poro retracted its tongue into its mouth and frowned. The little one's eyes drifted from the sheriff to the desk as it tried to burrow itself on the stray strands of pink hair. It whimpered as a response to Caitlyn's decision.

"You know animals can understand emotions too." Vi explained with a softer tone but shook the thought right out of her head. She was going to get the sheriff to say yes to her, she'll have to try her best. "And how can you not, like, not want him! He's so cute look! His hair is more rambunctious than the other poros out there!" She coerced.

Caitlyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Vi, do you even know what rambunctious means?" She scratched the side of her cheek, her mouth forming into a small frown.

Vi disregarded her question and kept on explaining. "I'll feed him! I'll wash him and I'm going to take care of him, I promise!" She hoisted herself up from the floor in a swift motion. Doug rolled off of her head from the sudden action, belly flopping on Caitlyn's desk. It let out a small squeak as it landed on the oak wood surface.

"Come on Cait, don't be so cruel. He doesn't have a home," she whimpered under her breath. "He was a stray-" she twirled her fingers and her eyes fell from Caitlyn's gaze to the floor.

Caitlyn crossed her arms. She still is not in favor of the enforcer taking care of a poro. Vi could barely make it through the day without breaking a building, cracking a road or even toppling over traffic. The life of this animal is resting on the hands of someone reckless, someone immature.

_Someone who used to be a stray herself._

She closed her eyes as she pressed her lips into a thin line. There it was, again. Vi's puppy dog eyes being thrown in her direction, coercing her to say yes. She tried to look elsewhere but then Doug was wearing the same expression, it's little tail towards the air, it's eyes rivalling Vi's in terms of size.

She was already dealing with this every day when Vi wanted things to go her way. Caitlyn was aware that it had a high success rate; Caitlyn's weakness was Vi's eyes. And now, she'll be looking at 2 pairs of them, begging and pleading and-

She bit her lip, this was a decision that she would probably regret for the rest of her life. She let a huge sigh.

"Fi-"

Vi didn't allow her to finish as she jumped up waving her hands in the air as she danced and twirled in front of the sheriff. The tension in her chest was lifted, the feeling of relief and excitement washed over her as she moved to a celebratory tune she was singing.

"We'll discuss house rules later. As for now, Doug is not allowed in my room or the kitchen."

Doug, still seated on top of Caitlyn's desk, turned around and saw Vi prancing about. It let out its tongue, its little fluffy tail wagging to the tune of Vi's upbeat song. It tried to mimic Vi's dancing and got on its hind legs, but in a failed attempt, rolled towards Caitlyn's chest instead.

She ran her hand through its fur and noticed the few patches of rough, crusty skin, topical cream applied to it just recently, near its joints. Out of her curiosity, she ran her hand through the underside of the poro, its belly lacked the fluffiness that poro's usually have. She took Doug in her hands and held him up to see patches of fur loss near its hind legs and a few open sores on its side.

"Come 'ere little guy!" Vi called him out. In that instant, it took off from Caitlyn's hand and waited for Vi to pick him off the desk, making small grunting noises between all its panting and wagging.

"I'm taking you on a mission!" she said as she took the poro and placed it on her head. She felt around her pockets, trying to find the poro-snax she saved up from her recent match. "Aha! Here it is!"

Doug took it from her hand and started to chow down on it. Vi then took the little poro and placed him safely on her head.

"See ya later cakes!" She bid her sheriff goodbye and planted her a quick peck on the cheek before she ran out the door. Caitlyn could've sworn she heard a long squeak coming from Doug once Vi was out her office.

"Make sure not to feed him in the Living Room!" Caitlyn could only hope Vi heard her reminder before she was out the building. She couldn't believe her decision, still regretting even looking at Vi at such a crucial moment. She sunk in her seat; impending doom was now looming at her back.

She didn't notice but her telpad was blinking for the past few minutes already. The intensity of the conversation she just had with Vi apparently overpowered her attention and she wasn't able to pick up the sound of her phone receiving a message. She picked it up and swiped her hand across the screen to open the message.

_**-Did you say yes-**_

She rolled her eyes at the sight of the message. Curse you, Jayce, she thought.

_**-You could've discouraged her-**_

She replied. A few seconds later it beeped again.

_**-He's a cutie. Besides, you have a talent for keeping strays at bay. I'm sure you'll grow to love this one too.-**_

She shook her head in disbelief. But what the hell, he was right anyway.

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A/N: The little puppy Cait incident is from 2Gold's comic (She has deviantart, she rocks go check her).


	3. Stubborn

**Stubborn**

Caitlyn X Vi. [Could be taken pre-slash or slash. Have it your way] Vi POV

**Summary: **There's a reason why orders are not mere suggestions and Vi learns the hard way.

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So, Caitlyn decided to leave the office early today, saying something about taking a break from all of the work that she's been doing. She kept mumbling about how the stress is finally catching up to her and she needs her own "_me time_". I remembered how we've been faring for the past couple of weeks and I couldn't see how she got tired with all of the chases since I've enjoyed them so much. Most of last week's pursuits got us going places like on top of buildings, through billboards and my personal favorite, wall-running past the new trade tower.

_Okay_, maybe I enjoyed the past few weeks probably a little too much that I might have accidentally destroyed a couple of buildings.

Anyway, I'm glad she decided to give herself some time. Lately, I've been nagging on her to take the day off and keep her mind off work because she's been spending too much time over at the station. I've been hinting on her to try and go back to her hobbies like baking or playing some piano or viola or -lin or whatever else she can play. I know she's picked up on it and despite my efforts, she just continues to ignore my pleas.

After each assignment, she'd just sink into her own cave at the station and come out when the sun don't shine anymore. It drives me insane cause I usually wait for her and keep her company on the way to her own place. I've been sleeping on the stations couch for too long and right now, my back is killing me.

But that's not the real reason I want her to take a rest. Since she goes home very late, I go home a lot later than she does. And I never got to start upgrading my gauntlets even if I've already got all the stuff I need back at my shop. Thinking about tinkering with my babies got me all excited; I just can't explain how happy I am that I would finally be able to upgrade them. I know Cait's picked up on it already. I've told her all about it so many times already like on rides home and idle chat times. I told her how much money I put into the parts and I even specifically instructed her to not touch it when she's at my house.

The moment I heard the clock tower chime 1600 hours, and I was out the door, darting straight home. My house was located outskirts of the city; it takes me bout an hour to get there from the station. But today, I got home in fifteen minutes, thanks to the police siren.

My schedule for the day was already plotted so perfectly in my head. Once I get home, I'm changing out of these stupid uniforms, getting into my shop clothes and diving in head first into the boxes I've stowed away for weeks at the back of my shop. I remember them perfectly, the custom cut metal sheets are on the bottom, the more delicate pieces like gauges, wires and smaller screws I've piled on top. On the middle is everything in between. Thinking about all of this is making me giddy.

So once I parked the car, I literally ran all the way to my room and quickly changed into my jumper. I didn't even mind putting my clothes in the hamper since I just flung my uniform blindly into the air. It toppled something over, making a huge clank sound as it hit the floor. Possibly a rack or something metal, I couldn't give two shits, I'm cleaning that later.

The only reason I preferred to pick a house outside the city is mainly because of space. The station offered me a condo unit at least three blocks away from the station, but it's not big enough for me to have my own little room where I'm going to tinker away with my gauntlets among other things. Plus, I doubt the building owner would let me smuggle in a welder and a bunch of power tools inside.

I've converted my garage into my own home machine shop. It's definitely _waaaay_ better than polishing up hextech gauntlets at the back of forgery at the middle of the night. No back alley fumes, none of that metal dust getting into my eye and definitely not dealing with security every now and then. Feels so good to have a place just for me to play around with my things. No one watching you and there's no avenue for returning the borrowed stuff from the machine shops.

I was debating whether to get my gauntlets out the car but decided not to since there would be no place to put it. I'm going to assemble some of the key parts first before I put them on my gauntlets. Less mess, more space, just like I've always wanted.

I was so caught up in my own bliss that I jumped when I heard a loud crash. Panic took over when I swore that the sound came exactly from my shop. **Shit**, this is not good. Just when I decided to not get my gauntlets, **FUCK**.

I was mentally cursing myself for not even feeling or sensing that someone's in my home. Heck, I used to be a thief, I should've known! I've become too complacent in the police force that this one slipped past me. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself after this.

I took light steps going to the door of my garage. It was the only way in and it's beside my kitchen. Before I went it, I snatched the frying pan set on the stove. This weirded me out a bit; I don't remember making myself any breakfast this morning. I probably forgot to put it away a few days ago when I used it last. I put my hand on the doorknob, and as quietly as I can, opened the door.

**HOLY FUCKING SHIT**.

This was my moment of weakness. I swear all of the blood from my face disappeared. If pale was a feeling, this is exactly what it would be. **No.** **Fuck**,_**no no no no**__._ Please let this be a dream. Someone pinch me right now.

The boxes. _My boxes_. The boxes that held everything I needed to up my gauntlets were on the floor, some of the contents spilled everywhere whilst those on the bottom are just... _damaged_. The metal sheets look bent and had scratches all over its used-to-be shiny exterior, the wires were already in disarray and the gauges were cracked. **Goddamit**, I bet they won't even work anymore. Not only that, all of my power tools to the side were also all over the floor. Everything inside my shop was a mess!

I could feel anger surging through my veins as I scanned my shop with so much fervor that I was sure that whoever fucking stepped into my house is going to die by my hands, or in this case, my frying pan. I gripped the pan a lot tighter as I proceeded to step into my own machine shop.

"Come the fuck out and face me like a man you fucking robber!" I screamed.

And I pray to heavens that he shows his fucking face so I can beat him up already. I would tear him limb from limb, destroy his goddamn face and make sure he'd never ever be able to walk anywhere in whole goddamn Valoran. If he-

"You look ridiculous Vi, put that down!"

_Wha...t?_

This is a cruel prank. Did I just hear that right? It must've been my mind playing tricks on me and my predicament. As if I needed any more surprises. I checked the bottom right side of the pile of boxes, seeing brown eyes staring back at me in the most irritated way. I dropped the pan once I recognized the person underneath all of my stuff.

"Fucking shi- fuck, Cupcake what the hell are you doing here!?" I scrambled over to her, banging my knees on the floor as I slid across it. I think I hurt my knees but seeing Caitlyn underneath all of my packages, I'd completely forgotten to respond to the pain of banging my joints on cold hard concrete.

I knew I should've taken my materials individually and stored the pieces in corners or on top of shelves or some other way to keep them out of place. The feeling of regret washed over me as a gentle pang of guilt was taunting me at the back of my mind. She kept poking me to clean my stuff and not listening to her got the both of us in trouble.

"Look Cupcake, I'm sorry I didn't put away my stuff like you said I wou-"

"That's because you never listen!" Her right eye twitched as she tried to move.

"It was organized and I put them all in one corner!"

"Organized?! I'm not sure from which part of Valoran you're from but that, _my dear_, is far from what normal human beings classify as _being organized_!" She shifted her shoulders but she still couldn't get her arm from underneath the boxes. "Vi, love, this pile of boxes was a bloody mess! The boxes weren't stacked up by their sizes, some of the heavy parts were on the top! Some of the wires were hanging loosely on their sides. And your power tools? Your hand saw and your drill were all over the place! I couldn't even tell where the plug was because it seemed to snake across every damn carton in this corner!"

"That's cause it's plugged in!"

"You're supposed to unplug power tools from their power sources! What if they spark!?

"I always-"

"Well, you shouldn't! It's unsafe anyway so do not insist on doing so!"

She did have a point. I should've just kept things in their places. Then she wouldn't have been in this predicament if I kept things properly. She wouldn't have gotten crushed underneath all of the raw metal workings and tools on my pile of work items.

_Wait a minute_. Something's not right.

She wouldn't have been in this predicament if she went home to her own home. She said she was going home and she went here instead? What the hell? She broke into my home! How is that even possible!?

"You came into my house without my consent? And I'm the one getting yelled at on how I store my stuff? In my own personal work shop? In my house?" I asked her in the angriest tone I could use against her, but that didn't seem to have any effect. Unfortunately for me, she must've thought that I was a small puppy barking violently at her. I was getting pissed. "Caitlyn, this is not fair!"

"You still should've organized it when I told you to."

She didn't get the point. Actually, she's _completely_ missing the damn point. She went inside my house, God knows how, without my consent. Her motive? I can't even think of one. Revenge? To teach me a lesson?

"Breaking and entering or trespassing is punishable by Piltover law." Recalling what she said a few weeks ago. "If you're found guilty you could be serving time for at least 45 days and a possible 6 months' probation after."

There was a long pause between the both of us. I was actually amused that I was able to remember all of that. Caitlyn looked amazed as well. I guess we both didn't expect me to blurt out something accurate about the law.

"Nonsense," she interjected, shutting down my brilliance in an instant. "I am the law."

"This is MY house, Cait. _Dammit woman_, listen to me!" I was fighting so hard not to lose my temper. "And I keep telling you **NOT** to go into this place! This is the type of danger I'm trying to get you out of! Why didn't you listen to me."

I swear that for a second, she had this apologetic look on her face. But that was gone when she broke out into a giggle.

**Wow, **_**thanks**_**,** I thought to myself. I've spent thousands of gold on the materials she just so happen to destroy which were probably, I dunno, in her way I guess? Didn't she consider that? Now my project is going to be pushed back. I'll have to order a new batch of materials, which means I'll have to wait ANOTHER 2 months of delivery. Most of the metal parts can't be salvaged so I'll have to send ANOTHER DAMN print to the fabrication guys which again would take time and gold to fabricate. I really hope these guys would be able to squeeze in my orders in between, I know they've been booked for months.

And here she was on the floor, laughing at me. I can't even understand how she could get herself to laugh! There was nothing funny about all of this. She's probably hurt underneath all of that. There were sharp pieces of cut metal somewhere in that mix. _Please oh please oh please_, tell me she's not been pierced by any of that. Her injury would be the death of me.

"Not so fun being concerned while I'm being crushed by all of this?" She asked.

I shook my head. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh not really. I'm pretty much comfortable underneath all of these heavy materials. It's quite nice here, warm and fuzzy much like a quilt in fact," she said sarcastically, but she quickly changed her tone when I furrowed my brows. "I think I have myself a couple of bruises." She shifted again. "I'm not quite sure but I do feel a sharp pain near my left rib."

I got up on my feet and started taking the boxes off one by one. "Hey Cupcake, tell me if you feeling any pain when I get the boxes off." Hopefully nothing pierced her. _Please, please, please_ just bumps and bruises. When things pierce your torso its hella painful and I don't want her to go through the fluids and the treatment they do at the medical centers. Its really painful and it takes a _loooong_ time to recover.

Finally getting the last heavy box of her was relieving. She could finally move underneath. She pushed the smaller boxes out of the way and asked me to help her up. I got her hand and pulled her to her feet.

She examined herself first, poking and prodding the bruises on her arm and legs. "I wonder how long these would stay. I look like a bloody Dalmatian." Ha, the downside of having porcelain skin. "What are you smirking about?"

Oops, she caught me. "It's nothing! I'm really happy nothing's broken."

"Nothing?" She looked to the mass of damaged items I took off her and pressed her lips together. "I'll pay for their replacements."

I shook my head. "Nah, its fine. I'm just going to have to save up for them again. Plus, I don't think all of them are that badly damaged, some of them are still good."

She seemed relieved throwing me a smile my way. "Let's just rest this out for a few minutes, yes? Then, I'm going to help you clean this up."

"Sure," I checked the clock. "We could catch the latest episode of _True Radiance_ in a few minutes."

"Sounds good. The soufflés in the oven are going to be done in a few also." So that's what that aroma was. That's why the pan was on the oven, she melted the chocolate. _Hey_! She took my advice to work out those baking muscles. The best thing about it is that I'm the one to taste it. Oh such sweet victory!

She was first out the door. "I'm going to take a shower. I'm covered in soot and dust."

"Sure." I followed her and saw her take a step into my shower. Now, I could smell the soufflés. It was much more recognizable now and it was making me hungry. Caitlyn wouldn't mind if I snuck a peek into the oven. Just a little sniff of the aroma.

I placed my hand on the oven and it's as if on cue, I heard her shout from the shower, "Get your hands off the oven Vi! It needs a few more minutes!"

On instant I took my hands off the oven door and placed them behind my head. "What? I wasn't even anywhere near the kitchen, Cupcake!" I reasoned out with her, trying to hide the guilty tone of my voice. It probably didn't work. "Sure you are, love," she quipped.

My hands were itchy and I really wanted to open the oven and get a whiff of that damn fine piece of cake in there. It was sooo tempting, and I really, really, really wanted to see it already. I don't get it, I always open the oven when she bakes cookies and cupcakes and there's nothing wrong with it, so what's the difference now? It's just a piece of cake!

But she probably put so much effort into it. I am not going to take that away from her.

I sighed. Fine, _whatever_. I'll wait for her to serve it. I left my resolve to check out the cake in the kitchen and decided to watch some TV instead. That better be a damn good cake.

* * *

a/n: SilverGol3m, if you are reading this, I cannot express how happy that you find my fics entertaining. I have no other way to contact and express my sentiments for you so this is a long shot. More power to your manga! Am currently waiting for the next update. We need more Piltover's Finest out in the world.


	4. Masterpiece

**Masterpiece**

Caitlyn X Vi [Pre-slash. Just partners and not _partners_]. Third person. Just fluff.

**Summary:**Vi never truly understood good art until she encountered the real definition of what a masterpiece is.

* * *

There was always something in the way the sheriff admired art. At first, Vi didn't get any of the damn shit that the sheriff was mumbling about whenever she'd stop and stare at a painting. She kept going on about how masterpieces gives us a sense of humanity, reminds her how beauty can be seen in the simplest of things, the most basic of shapes and the most primary of colours. But honestly, who the hell cares?

On her spare time, the sheriff would bring her along to Piltover's Art Exhibits. Vi would laugh it off – _why even_? Is it some sort of corporate punishment? She's been banned from so many places because she's destroyed more buildings than bones and the sheriff's gonna drag her along to the one place where prim and finesse are needed the most – something that Vi is definitely not known for.

She'd argue that _maybe _it was a rich people thing. Just like the way they both disagree on food, drinks, &amp; proper public decorum to name a few. Yeah, pretty much everything under that goddamn sun she swore she'd never understand why people like Cait enjoy those types of things. Like caviar for instance – for what it's worth she could've already bought 3 burritos and a few drinks with it already!

It's a waste.

And she used to say the same for art pieces. _Especially art pieces._

She was never drawn to anything artsy. The only thing she considered art is the tattoos she's got on her back and neck – and that's there for a purpose. Art really is just a waste of time, effort and space like _c'mon,_ she'd be able to do so much more with the time it takes to create those things. From what she can recall from Caitlyn's ramblings, some paintings take _years_ to complete. _Yeeeeaaaars._

But she was stuck with her once again inside one of those blasted museums. She's been here. _Four fucking times, _she mentally counted. Four _fucking_ times she had to stand beside the sheriff _for hours_ at a time admiring some shabby 'masterpiece' slightly larger than a standard-size poster at this _particular_ place. She used to beg and plead the sheriff to not let her go but her superior would not take no for an answer.

Going here used to be unbearable at first.

Surrounded by so many paintings and statues, it's reminded her of being stuck in a library. The only thing that's different is that it's against the law to sleep inside the museum. It wasn't fun to play staring contest with the portraits. You can't touch anything—you can touch books and actually read them. And apparently it was offensive to ask things like, "That piece only used 3 colors and like 7 squares and rectangles, how is it worth more than 3 million G's?" Everyone threw her a judging look to which she answered with a simple flip.

Her chief wasn't any help either at first. She was too absorbed in whatever she was viewing. Vi thought that she was purposely ignoring her to punish her.

Caitlyn would be quiet, rubbing her chin and twirling her hair every now and then. Sometimes, a small smile tugged at her lips followed by a raised brow. It seemed like she was having this witty, posh conversation going back and forth in her head and she's enjoying it. Vi thought the sheriff was crazy but she's already grown accustomed to it that she found it amusing. Watching the sheriff's animate expression changes were a breath of fresh air from the dead-on serious face she's known to fear.

And those paintings that she truly enjoys, Caitlyn would mumble something like, "Exquisite" or "Fascinating" or the rare "Clever" to no one in particular. She looked like a fool beside the sheriff wearing the most perplexed expression trying to figure out how a painting of 7 girls lost in the forest could be considered as _ingenious_. She didn't know how to react to it at first, giving the sheriff a nod or a thumbs up. Only did she recently realize that she wasn't being engaged in a conversation. It was simply a pat on the back of the artist, long gone or far away, from the sheriff herself.

The first few art exhibits were painfully embarrassing for Vi. But it got a little better.

After a few visits, Caitlyn started to share her thoughts about the pieces. Her hands moved as much as her eyes and it was timed perfectly with the words that poured out from her mouth. It was _soooo_ unlike the sheriff but it was _soooo_ addicting to watch.

So she started to ask more questions about these things.

And every time she'd answer, Vi would find herself lost. She would see grins and frowns she had never seen the whole time she was on the force. That tone of voice that she'd only hear when the sheriff's off again in one of her passionate arguments with herself – compared to the constant nagging – Vi could listen to this for hours.

And it was from there that she slowly understood why it took Caitlyn _ages_ to ogle at these things. It was simple.

Masterpieces were definitely _addicting_.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

_Yes, she's beautiful indeed. _Vi nodded.

"I could admire this one for _days_."

She smiled as a response. _I could too. _

"I wish I could keep it for my own but it'll be too selfish. If I had it to myself then the whole world wouldn't be able to see how grandiose, _how exquisite_ this piece is. But I do really want it for myself."

Caitlyn gazed at the painting for a few moments. Vi's focus, however, never left the sheriff.

"Well, it's cause she's a fucking _masterpiece_." Vi commented as she hid her hands in her pockets. "But, the people love her and she's done so much for the people that keeping it from them would do more harm than good. So it'll be better to leave her as she is, right?"

Caitlyn looked at her, a shocked expression painted on her face. "Well, it seems that these trips to the art museums have finally grown on you. You've been listening to everything I've been saying about the pieces haven't you? Here I thought that you've been spacing out." She snickered. "At least the paintings have your attention."

The comment caught her off guard. _Of course she meant the paintings. Of course she was talking about the art pieces._ What other _thing_ could she have been talking about? Right on the dot, _Sherlock_, Vi thought.

"Yup. And if you ask me," she kept her blue orbs keen on the sheriff's own, "it's pretty hard to keep my eyes off of it."


End file.
